Malware analysis

Malware analysis is the process of understanding the behavior and purpose of a suspicious file or URL. ... The key benefit of malware analysis is that it helps incident responders and security analysts: Pragmatically triage incidents by level of severity. Uncover hidden indicators of compromise (IOCs) that should be ...

1. What does malware analyst do?
2. Is malware analysis hard?
3. Why is malware analysis important?
4. What are the two most common phases of malware analysis?
5. What are the 4 types of malware?
6. What is most malware written in?
7. How much does a malware analyst make?
8. How malware is created?
9. What is reverse engineering in malware analysis?
10. How can you prevent malware?
11. What are the advantages of dynamic malware analysis?
12. What is dynamic analysis of malware?

What does malware analyst do?

The primary function of a malware analyst is to identify, examine, and understand various forms of malware and their delivery methods. This malicious software includes all the diverse forms of adware, bots, bugs, rootkits, spyware, ransomware, Trojan horses, viruses, and worms.

Is malware analysis hard?

Static analysis of malware is generally hard but rewarding. ... Knowing generally how the malware attacks (ie: C&C, protocols, ports...) to know how to fight it. Knowing what the malware attacks in order to know what could have been compromised.

Why is malware analysis important?

There are a few key reasons to perform malware analysis: Malware detection — To better protect your organization, you need to be able to identify compromising threats and vulnerabilities. Threat response — To help you understand how these threats work so you can react accordingly to them.

What are the two most common phases of malware analysis?

When discussing malware analysis, I've always referred to 2 main phases of the process: behavioral analysis and code analysis. It's time to add a third major component: memory analysis.

What are the 4 types of malware?

Learn more about these common types of malware and how they spread:

1. Virus. Viruses are designed to damage the target computer or device by corrupting data, reformatting your hard disk, or completely shutting down your system. ...
2. Worm. ...
3. Trojan Horse. ...
4. Spyware. ...
5. Adware. ...
6. Ransomware.

What is most malware written in?

Keep in mind that most real-world malware tools are coded in C/C++/Delphi in order to discard the dependency of . NET framework when coding with C#. I also like using C# in my coding examples since it can be read like a story even if one isn't familiar with the syntax.

How much does a malware analyst make?

As of Apr 14, 2021, the average annual pay for a Malware Analyst in the United States is $90,383 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $43.45 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,738/week or $7,532/month.

How malware is created?

Malware, a contraction of malicious software, is often created by teams of hackers: usually, they're just looking to make money, either by spreading the malware themselves or selling it to the highest bidder on the Dark Web.

What is reverse engineering in malware analysis?

Reverse engineering malware involves disassembling (and sometimes decompiling) a software program. Through this process, binary instructions are converted to code mnemonics (or higher level constructs) so that engineers can look at what the program does and what systems it impacts.

How can you prevent malware?

How to prevent malware

1. Keep your computer and software updated. ...
2. Use a non-administrator account whenever possible. ...
3. Think twice before clicking links or downloading anything. ...
4. Be careful about opening email attachments or images. ...
5. Don't trust pop-up windows that ask you to download software. ...
6. Limit your file-sharing.

What are the advantages of dynamic malware analysis?

Capturing the dynamic properties of suspicious code by running it in an unrestricted environment has some clear advantages. First, the test environment is easy to set up and, second, it is hard for the malware to detect that it is being observed and thus choose to suppress its malicious actions.

What is dynamic analysis of malware?

In contrast to static analysis, dynamic malware analysis allows the malware analyst to monitor the execution of malware at each step. The malware is typically executed in a sandbox or VM for monitoring the run-time behaviors of the malware. Unlike static analysis, dynamic analysis is immune to code obfuscation.